Dark Finance

Over the last decade, a single innovation has massively fueled digital black markets: cryptocurrency. Crime lords inhabiting lawless corners of the internet have operated more freely—whether in drug dealing, money laundering, or human trafficking—than their analog counterparts could have ever dreamed of. By transacting not in dollars or pounds but in currencies with anonymous ledgers, overseen by no government, beholden to no bankers, these black marketeers have sought to rob law enforcement of their chief method of cracking down on illicit finance: following the money.

In the beginning was Josh Levine, an idealistic programming genius who dreamed of wresting control of the market from the big exchanges that, again and again, gave the giant institutions an advantage over the little guy. Levine created a computerized trading hub named "Island" where small traders swapped stocks, and over time his invention morphed into a global electronic stock market that sent trillions in capital through a vast jungle of fiber-optic cables.

In Dark Towers, award-winning journalist David Enrich reveals the truth about Deutsche Bank and its epic path of devastation. Tracing the bank's history back to its propping up of a default-prone American developer in the 1880s, helping the Nazis build Auschwitz, and wooing Eastern Bloc authoritarians, he shows how in the 1990s, via a succession of hard-charging executives, Deutsche made a fateful decision to pursue Wall Street riches, often at the expense of ethics and the law.

The American supermarket is an everyday miracle. But what does it take to run one? What are the inner workings of product delivery and distribution? Who sets the price? And who suffers for the convenience and efficiency we’ve come to expect? In this rollicking exposé, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry.

When Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Territory, he envisioned an "empire for liberty" populated by self-sufficient white farmers. Cleared of Native Americans and the remnants of European empires by Andrew Jackson, the Mississippi Valley was transformed instead into a booming capitalist economy commanded by wealthy planters, powered by steam engines, and dependent on the coerced labor of slaves.

For the past few decades, Americans have spent billions of dollars on personal finance products. As salaries have stagnated and companies have cut back on benefits, we've taken matters into our own hands, embracing the can-do attitude that if we're smart enough, we can overcome even daunting financial obstacles. But that's not true. In this meticulously reported and shocking audiobook, journalist and former financial columnist Helaine Olen goes behind the curtain of the personal finance industry to expose the myths, contradictions, and outright lies it has perpetuated.

Coffee is an indispensable part of daily life for billions of people around the world - one of the most valuable commodities in the history of global capitalism, the leading source of the world's most popular drug, and perhaps the most widespread word on the planet. Augustine Sedgewick's Coffeeland tells the hidden and surprising story of how this came to be, tracing coffee's 500-year transformation from a mysterious Muslim ritual into an everyday necessity.

This vibrant portrait of 1930s culture masterfully explores the anxiety and hope, the despair and surprising optimism of distressed Americans during the Great Depression.

Morris Dickstein, whom Norman Mailer called “one of our best and most distinguished critics of American literature,” has brought together a staggering range of material, from epic Dust Bowl migrations to zany screwball comedies, elegant dance musicals, wildly popular swing bands, and streamlined art deco designs.

In this important and revealing book, Jamie Bartlett takes us deep into the digital underworld and presents an extraordinary look at the Internet we don't know. Beginning with the rise of the Internet and the conflicts and battles that defined its early years, Bartlett reports on trolls, pornographers, drug dealers, hackers, political extremists, Bitcoin programmers, and vigilantes - and puts a human face on those who have many reasons to stay anonymous.

A Small Town, Absurdist, Dark Humor from the Twisted Mind of Count Fathom. A dying man delivers, with his last breath, a message to a tavern full of drunks, in a storm. Struck by lightning, this modern prophet says he speaks with the stars and beyond. His message he sets in the hearts of the new apostles. They, in turn, spread the message to build a brand around the Martyr, bringing unity, hope, and financial prosperity to the town, and to themselves most of all. The drunks spill their cups in a mad dash down fortune’s path, as greed leads the town astray. Cursed with the common self-...

He is a covert operative and the most successful international banker on the trading floor. Now, he’s accused of murder… In London, Henry Crowne lives a double life. Loyalty to his Irish father’s cause and unmatched investment banking successes put him in a perfect position to run a money laundering operation for IRA dissidents. Yet, a vicious banks’ merger threatens to unravel his finely balanced world. Within months, he could be at the mercy of his trading floor arch-rival and when his nemesis’s plane is ripped apart by a bomb, Henry becomes the prime suspect. As Henry’s ...

The failed assassination of a whistle-blower, a link to a new terror group in London… only one man holds the answer. With the assassination attempt on a high-finance whistle-blower former QC Nancy Wu and Inspector Jonathan Pole race to defuse a jihadi attack on London. The only man to help them: Henry Crowne. Disgraced international banker and broker of terrorists’ funds, Crowne lies in jail but sees in his new mission the means to escape. Danger escalates as Crowne and British Intelligence MI6 play their own deadly double game. Now Crowne must decide whether he is willing to give much ...

In Dark Towers, award-winning journalist David Enrich reveals the truth about Deutsche Bank and its epic path of devastation. Tracing the bank’s history back to its propping up of a default-prone American developer in the 1880s, helping the Nazis build Auschwitz, and wooing Eastern Bloc authoritarians, he shows how in the 1990s, via a succession of hard-charging executives, Deutsche made a fateful decision to pursue Wall Street riches, often at the expense of ethics and the law.

A jailed financial terrorist. Two high-profile bankers assassinated… The most brutal international scandal is about to explode and bring the world to the brink. With the suspicious suicide of two high-profile City bankers, former QC Nancy Wu and Inspector Jonathan Pole uncover a lethal scandal that implicates UK government, Bank of England, and London’s top banking executives. Only one man can help them solve the case: Henry Crowne. Once a brilliant financier now a guilt-ridden prisoner, Henry lies imprisoned in the obscure High Security wing of Belmarsh amongst spies, and terrorists. ...

In the Dark Psychology of Money: The Good, The Bad, and The Evil, Dexter Morgan takes you on a journey where stakes are high, morals are corrupted, and integrity has no ground to stand on. It is a dark and evil world. From the outside, we judge and mock, assuming we would never fall into that lifestyle. But are you strong enough to avoid the temptation of money’s siren call?

Unlock the Secrets of Political Influence: Discover the Hidden Forces Shaping Our World In a world where power is often wielded behind closed doors, The Dark Money Machine: How Hidden Donations Shape Markets and Politics offers an eye-opening journey into the clandestine realm of political finance. This compelling investigation unveils the intricate web of anonymous donations and shadowy networks that shape policy, elections, and ultimately, our lives. Delve into the underworld of dark money, where wealthy individuals, corporations, and secretive entities thrive, manipulating political and ...

Though mankind has traded tangible goods for millennia, recent technology has changed the fundamentals of trade, in both legitimate and illegal economies. In the past three decades, the most advanced forms of illicit trade have broken with all historical precedents and, as Dark Commerce tells, now operate as if on steroids, tied to computers and social media. Author Louise Shelley examines how new technology, communications, and globalization fuel the exponential growth of dangerous forms of illegal trade and considers diverse ways of responding to this increasing challenge.

A Russian conspiracy targeting the White House and only one man can save it from falling… Henry Crowne, former rebel financier, now British Intelligence agent, infiltrates a network of ruthless international oligarchs seeking to control the White House. Their plan? To run a string of systematic cyber-attacks and blackmail high-profile political figures. The intelligence operation to defeat them takes Henry from Washington to London and Moscow. There, he navigates the perilous corridors of power, always watched by the beautiful, yet dangerous, Tatiana. When Tatiana defects to the West to ...

A kidnapped tech genius holds the balance between war and peace in the Pacific… Can one man free him from China’s grip? Henry Crowne, disgraced financier, now British Intelligence agent, lands with a US SEAL team in one of the most challenging regions of China. His new mission… to free a kidnapped tech ace whose ground-breaking innovation will change the face of war. Time is running out before the man reveals his secret to his brutal abductors. Captured and thrown into the same dark-site camp as his target, Henry must resist lethal interrogation, prison gang challenges, and the greed ...

More and more credit card companies, banks and others are promoting your use of e delivery of bills and statements. The consumer needs to be aware of the problems and dangers this can create for them. There is a dark side to electing e delivery and this small book is intended to warn consumers of the dangers they need to consider.